It takes a long moment before he can answer again, Peter wipes his nose with the back of his sleeve and tries to keep his voice level.]
What if, though? Why'd we come here? If it was just me, then yeah, maybe it's a fluke. But how'd Rocket even come here? Gamora? Maybe we did something back home, I mean, maybe I don't even remember, flew into an uncharted wormhole or pissed off the wrong person...? Oh God, what if it was the Sovereign? They want us dead, Rocket stole the batteries. What if it's some weird side-effect of the Infinity Stones, and that's why you're here too--
[There's no answer Stephen can give. There isn't any reason that he can see, no answer that would ever satisfy. No meaning to it. He lets out a haggard sigh, and when he replies, it's not entirely facetious.]
[For some reason it strikes Peter, and he starts laughing, even though he doesn't actually want to. It's not a happy laugh.]
That's it. We're just gonna die here or have everything we are ripped into tiny little pieces, because this place is an asshole. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning and decided to ruin a few dozen lives. No biggie. Let's kill off their friends, freeze them a few times, make them kill each other, won't that be hilarious?
[A pause, he wipes his nose.]
I wouldn't be surprised if something was running this place. Doing this to us on purpose.
[There's a soft thump as Stephen lets his head fall back against the wall with an unseen grimace. He can't help. He doesn't know how to help Peter when he doesn't even know how to help himself.]
So we hit it back. We don't let it just...do this to us. We stay together, we stay strong, and we hit it back when we reach the center.
[And that's why Stephen phrased it that way. Fighting almost certainly isn't what needs to happen, but if the drive to fight it keeps Peter from tipping over into the deep end....]
no subject
Date: 2018-01-19 10:17 pm (UTC)It's not your fault, Peter. You didn't make this happen; none of us could have known.
[Except Stephen. If something was that desperately wrong, he should have known.]
no subject
Date: 2018-01-20 07:14 am (UTC)It takes a long moment before he can answer again, Peter wipes his nose with the back of his sleeve and tries to keep his voice level.]
What if, though? Why'd we come here? If it was just me, then yeah, maybe it's a fluke. But how'd Rocket even come here? Gamora? Maybe we did something back home, I mean, maybe I don't even remember, flew into an uncharted wormhole or pissed off the wrong person...? Oh God, what if it was the Sovereign? They want us dead, Rocket stole the batteries. What if it's some weird side-effect of the Infinity Stones, and that's why you're here too--
[His lack of focus is not helping this at all.]
no subject
Date: 2018-02-01 02:48 am (UTC)This wasn't you. This wasn't any of us. This place just...worms its way into one dimension or another and takes whoever it can.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-03 10:47 am (UTC)But why? Why'd it have to take us? Them!? WHY?!
[He's not demanding an answer, he just...feels like yelling into the void.]
no subject
Date: 2018-02-05 05:17 am (UTC)Because it's an asshole.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-05 01:36 pm (UTC)That's it. We're just gonna die here or have everything we are ripped into tiny little pieces, because this place is an asshole. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning and decided to ruin a few dozen lives. No biggie. Let's kill off their friends, freeze them a few times, make them kill each other, won't that be hilarious?
[A pause, he wipes his nose.]
I wouldn't be surprised if something was running this place. Doing this to us on purpose.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-05 04:36 pm (UTC)So we hit it back. We don't let it just...do this to us. We stay together, we stay strong, and we hit it back when we reach the center.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-06 03:01 pm (UTC)Hit it back. [It's not a question, he's just repeating. But there's a nod.] We'll hit it back.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-06 06:46 pm (UTC)We've just got to hold it together until we can.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-07 03:17 pm (UTC)We'll hold it together. You're too annoyingly stubborn to let it beat you. [A compliment? Sorta?]
no subject
Date: 2018-02-10 04:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-02-20 10:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-02-21 02:25 am (UTC)